Mother charged after reporting newborn abandoned on Hawaii beach
QMI AGENCY
FIRST POSTED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 01, 2013 08:18 AM EDT | UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 01, 2013 08:35 AM EDT
People watch the sunset from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii November 9, 2011. REUTERS FILE PHOTO/Chris Wattie
The woman who reported finding an abandoned newborn girl on a beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, last weekend has been identified by police as the infant's mother and charged with filing a false report.
Keala Simeona, 21, of Honolulu was arrested and released Tuesday after posting $250 bail, KITV-TV reported.
Simeona allegedly told police that she heard screams on Sunday night and then, about 15 minutes later, found the baby on the sand, right on the water's edge, with nobody else in sight.
She took the baby to hospital, where the 8-pound girl is drinking formula and doing well, KITV-TV reports.
The Department of Human Services is working with the family to complete an investigation, the news channel reported. An initial hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday.
